The three of them took different routes. Ivy and Li Wan left from two subway exits respectively, while Wen Ran walked to the street, ready to take a taxi home.

Finally a taxi arrived and stopped in front of Wen Ran, but was snatched away by a young couple who suddenly appeared.

Wen Ran took out his mobile phone and planned to call a taxi using the mobile app.

Because it was the weekend and peak time, the mobile page showed that there were sixty-seven people in line ahead and it would probably take fifteen to twenty minutes.

Wen Ran sat on a bench by the roadside waiting, and picked out a few photos taken at the Starry Sky Art Museum today to post on his Moments.

As soon as she posted it, Zhai Xinyi liked it and a message box popped up.

Zhai Xinyi,[Where did you go to have fun?]

Wen Ran typing, [Internet celebrity museum.]

Wen Ran calculated the time difference and it should be around four in the morning at Zhai Xinyi.

Wen Ran, [Why aren’t you sleeping at this hour?]

Zhai Xinyi, [Transfer, back to M Country.]

Wen Ran then remembered that Zhai Xinyi seemed to have mentioned going on a business trip somewhere last week, but she couldn't remember which country it was.

Wen Ran, [Teacher, how are you doing recently?]

Zhai Xinyi, [I don’t know either. You weren’t at home, and I didn’t go there either.]

Wen Ran, [I want to find a weekend to go back and see my teacher.]

Zhai Xinyi, [Two days? That's too rushed. What are you doing here?]

Wen Ran held the phone with her slender fingers, her mind filled with the ups and downs of this week.

Wen Ran, [I just miss him.]

This time Zhai Xinyi did not respond immediately.

Wen Ran added, [I miss you too.]

After a long while, Zhai Xinyi sent a message.

Hit the nail on the head, [You won't be bullied, right?]

Wen Ran smiled bitterly. She felt that she wasn't being bullied, she was just unhappy.

Wen Ran typed quickly, [No, just simply, I miss you guys.]

Afraid that Zhai Xinyi would ask further questions, Wen Ran changed the subject, [Do you know who I was having dinner with just now? ]

Zhai Xinyi , [Who?]

Wen Ran,[Yan Wangshu.]

Zhai Xinyi was impatient, so he sent a voice message directly, in an excited tone, “Are you guys dating?”

Dating?

Wen Ran almost rolled her eyes. She pressed the talk button and said, “We just bumped into each other. It was an accidental encounter, but...”

Wen Ran recalled the way Yan Wangshu stared at her at the dinner table just now. She typed, [Xinyi, I ran into him today with my two colleagues, and then he invited us to dinner, and his niece was also there. Isn’t that a bit strange?]

Thinking of this, Wen Ran felt a chill down his spine in the hot summer. [Did he suspect me of something?]

Zhai Xinyi bombarded me with a stream of messages.

Zhai Xinyi, [You are suspicious.]

Zhai Xinyi, [Ranran, act naturally and calmly, who cares about you being a small designer?]

Zhai Xinyi,[Besides, isn't it normal to meet and have a meal together?]

Zhai Xinyi,[If my brother meets a capable subordinate, he will also help to settle the bill in this way.]

What Zhai Xinyi said is not wrong.

But…

Wen Ran, [We are not capable subordinates.]

Zhai Xinyi, [Pretty is OK [Smiley Face]]

Wen Ran,[[dizzy]]

Zhai Xinyi,[By the way, has my brother contacted you?]

Wen Ran, [Called last week.]

Zhai Xinyi, [I am asking about these two days, didn’t he return to China?]

Return to China?

Senior brother has returned to China???

Wen Ran had no idea that Zhai Chengjing had returned to China.

Wen Ran, [Senior brother didn’t contact me, I don’t know.]

Zhai Xinyi,[It must be because he was very busy, so he didn’t tell you.]

Wen Ran, [What did you gain from this business trip?]

Zhai Xinyi sent several long voice messages complaining, “Harvest? What can you harvest in such a barren place? It's almost melted by the sun...”

Wen Ran laughed as he listened.

After eight o'clock in the evening, the heat gradually faded away and there were more people outside the mall than during the day.

The sky was like a dark canvas, with a few stars and a crescent moon painted on it, unclear and hazy.

There is a yellowish street lamp next to the black wrought iron chairs.

Wen Ran sat there, her aqua green skirt covering her toes.

She leaned weakly to the right, with her right elbow resting on the wrought-iron handrail. Her shoulder bones were small and well-proportioned, and her collarbone was deep and beautiful.

The picture is as gentle as a painting.

She seemed to be chatting with someone, and when she was happy, her eyes turned into crescent shapes.

Yan Wangshu's car was parked on the side of the road. He had a frown on his face and had just lit his second cigarette.

Yan Wangshu raised his head, his protruding Adam's apple trembled slightly, and then he slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

When he looked over again, there was a boy sitting next to Wen Ran. He was fair-skinned, looked to be in his twenties, and looked a bit like a student.

The boy held his cell phone and glanced at Wen Ran shyly, his face turned red, but he still didn't have the courage to strike up a conversation with her.

In that youthful scene, the two of them seemed to be a good match.

Yan Wangshu put out his cigarette and stepped on the accelerator.

The car window was halfway down, revealing only a pair of deep eyes and brows. “Wen Ran.”

Wen Ran looked up and unconsciously clenched the phone in his hand.

She stood up calmly, walked over, bowed slightly, and said, “President Yan.”

Yan Wangshu glanced at her chest and said, “Get in the car. I'll take you there.”

Wen Ran was stunned for a moment, then smiled as kindly as possible, “Thank you, President Yan. No need to bother.”

Yan Wangshu twitched his lips and said, “Isn't it on the way?”

On the way?

Oh, it’s on the way.

Without waiting for Wen Ran to speak again, the car window went up, leaving only two words, “Get in the car.”

Wen Ran, “...”

Yan Wangshu's car has a hint of cedary.

The car slowly passed through an old street. Outside the car window, there were elderly people walking and waving palm-leaf fans, and young men and women snuggling and flirting.

Wen Ran glanced at the air-conditioning vent and unconsciously crossed his arms.

Yan Wangshu likes the temperature of 25℃.

He said nothing, just pressed the temperature twice with his fingers and adjusted it to 27℃.

Wen Ran said stiffly, “Thank you.”

The car was parked steady in front of the zebra crossing. Yan Wangshu glanced at Wen Ran and saw that she had tucked the hair on her cheeks behind her ears, revealing her small earlobes. He smiled and said, “Aren't you leaving Carlyle Company?”

!!!

Is the topic so abrupt?

Wen Ran wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible, “Oh, I just suddenly figured it out.”

Then he added a polite smile, “Haha.”

After the crowd passed, Yan Wangshu stepped on the accelerator lightly and said in a relaxed tone, “What do you understand?”

“...” Wen Ran couldn't escape, so he licked his lips and said frankly, “Carlyle Company is a very good company. I believe that under your leadership, I will gain a lot from Carlyle Company. I believe that these experiences will add a touch of color to my ordinary life! I promise you that I will never do such reckless behavior as that afternoon again. I will be a good person and do my job well!”

“Excellent company?” Yan Wangshu grasped the point of this funny remark and replied, “Isn't it a lousy company?”

Wen Ran took a deep breath after hearing this.

She couldn't help but turn her head to look at him. The street lights shone through the banyan trees on the old street, and he was dimly visible. The corners of his mouth were curved.

Wen Ran knew he was teasing her, but she didn't understand why he was doing that.

She lowered her voice and said, “I am still young, please forgive my ignorance.”

Her voice was weak and thin, like a kitten begging for mercy.

Yan Wangshu felt as if something was grabbing his chest.

The next second, he restrained his expression and even spoke seriously, “Wen Ran, why did you come to Carlyle Company?”

“ah?”

The cars merged into the main street and were stuck at the intersection.

He turned his head to look at her, his gaze fixed on her, no longer as relaxed as before.

Wen Ran looked away guiltily, not daring to look him in the eye.

A car ahead of us tried to squeeze into the turning lane and was honked at several times.

Wen Ran felt the atmosphere suddenly become tense.

She wondered why Yan Wangshu asked this question, could it be that he really knew something?

Thinking about it this way, Wen Ran felt that it was unreasonable for Yan Wangshu to have dinner with her and send her home today.

She even wondered, could it be that this wasn't just a coincidence?

The next second, she felt that her idea was too outrageous.

Yan Wangshu captured her unnaturalness, her panic, her confusion...all within his sight.

She looked as if she had been bullied.

Yan Wangshu shook her head helplessly. Her appearance was an advantage.

The road ahead was cleared, Yan Wangshu stepped on the accelerator a little harder, and said in a lighter tone, “Wen Ran, what do you want most now?”

He glanced at her and said, “Truth.”

These two words inexplicably hit Wen Ran's heart.

She thought for a while, “I want to win the 'Apollo Jewelry Design' competition.”

Yan Wangshu then asked, “Then what? Become an independent designer?”

“yes.”

Wen Ran answered Yan Wangshu's question with a tense heart, but he fell silent after this question.

Wen Ran felt suffocated in the car and could only pretend to play with his phone.

While playing, a message flashed on the top of the phone. It was from Zhai Chengjing.

Wen Ran already had a hunch, and when she clicked on it, she saw that he was coming to Shanghai tomorrow and asked her to meet him.

Tomorrow is Sunday, so the time is fine.

Wen Ran replied, [Okay, brother.]

Zhai, [I will arrive in Shanghai at noon tomorrow. Please tell me the address of your hotel.]

Wen Ran didn't know the hotel address, so he typed a reply, “Brother, I'll come find you.”

Zhai, [OK.]

Zhai, [I brought you something, do you want it?]

Wen Ran thinks it's a gift, [want to be [well behaved]]

For several minutes, there was no reply from Zhai Chengjing.

The vehicle slowly stopped at the gate of 'Lan Yufeng' community.

Wen Ran took a look and unbuckled his seat belt, “Thank you, President Yan.”

Before she opened the car door, Yan Wangshu called her in a calm voice, “Wen Ran.”

“Um?”

“The 'Apollo' competition is fair and square.”

Being fair and just means there are great opportunities.

Wen Ran smiled, “Yes.”

“You are too young and don't have any qualifications.”

“?” Wen Ran paused and nodded obediently, “Yes.”

“As an independent designer, you still need time.”

“???” Wen Ran nodded again, “Yes.”

Yan Wangshu put his finger to his lips and took a deep breath. “Put together a portfolio and hand it in to my office on Monday. I'll take a look first.”

“???” Wen Ran didn't quite understand why he suddenly attached so much importance to his work, but he still nodded obediently, “Yes.”

He looked at her and fell silent again.

Wen Ran felt guilty being stared at, and hesitated for a long time before speaking, “President Yan, I'm going to go back first, drive carefully.”

After saying that, Wen Ran raised her hand and pushed open the car door. The hem of her skirt was lifted up, and her toes were standing on the ground, revealing her slender and long calves .

“Wen Ran.”

Wen Ran turned around, but Yan Wangshu didn't look at him.

He leaned back in his chair with his arm resting on the center armrest. The visible veins and blood vessels extended to the back of his hand, protruding slightly.

He tapped his fingers. “Last time you said you wanted to come to my house?”

???

Wen Ran took two seconds to recall what he said at that time.

——I want to go to your house and see your collection, is that okay?

Yan Wangshu tilted his head, his pale pupils narrowed slightly, and extended an olive branch, “Now, do you want to go?”

“Go.” Wen Ran didn't hesitate at all.

She retracted her foot, pulled up the hem of her skirt neatly, folded it over her legs, and closed the car door.

Yan Wangshu laughed, “Seat belt.”

Wen Ran fastened his seat belt obediently.

The seat belt clicked with an exceptionally crisp sound.

Yan Wangshu didn't drive immediately. He looked at the night ahead and thought that he had lost his composure.

He turned to look at her, as if looking for an answer.

I saw her biting her lower lip but couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from curling up, and her eyes were full of shining stars.

She looked at him, then looked ahead.

It seems like you are urging me to drive. Why don’t you drive now?

Yan Wangshu has his own confidence. He just closed his eyes. That’s all. He can handle any consequences.